14 DAY TRIAL // A former British Airways computer expert was convicted on multiple terror charges thanks to a nine-month Metro Police effort to decrypt 300 emails found on his computer.
Rajib Karim, 31, originally of Bangladesh, emigrated to the United Kingdom with his family in 2006 and managed to land a job in the IT department at British Airways the following year.
The Newcastle resident was arrested in February 2010 by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command on suspicion of assisting terrorists.
A search of his computer revealed a number of 300 encrypted emails which eventually proved to contain conversations with Anwar Al-Awlaki, a major terrorist planner.
Rajib and his brother Tehzeeb were both supporters of Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an extremist organization supporting an Islamist government in their home country.
In email discussions with Al-Awlaki Karim offered to use his contacts in BA to help get a dangerous package or someone with a package on a plane to the United States.
At one point he even applied for an open cabin crew position himself, but he was denied because of not being long enough with the company.
He also told Al-Awlaki that he made significant efforts to pose as a liberal muslim, a fact confirmed by his colleagues who said that he joined a gym, played football and never expressed extreme views.
"Rajib Karim set out to find employment with the clear intention of exploiting any position he may obtain to get information which might be useful to his terrorist plans," said Stuart Osborne, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
In reference to the email decoding effort he noted that "it was the most sophisticated decryption task of its kind ever undertaken by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command."
Karim was found guilty by a jury to four counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism, charges which he previously denied. He also pleaded guilty to three other charges including terrorist fundraising and possession a document likely to be of use to a terrorist. His sentencing is scheduled for March 18.